Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By ....Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By incorporating nanotechnology with ophthalmology we will provide an economic solution to long-term, reliable, home-monitoring of IOP. An implantable IOP sensor, will identify patients requiring more invasive treatment compared with those with less aggressive disease, leading to better health resource utilisation.Read moreRead less
Vision performance in relationship to spectacle lens design. Refractive errors such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or presbyopia (age related decline in near vision) are the leading causes of visual impairment in the world. Of these, presbyopia affects almost 100% of the population above 45 years of age. This represents over 40% of all Australians. Although spectacles provide a safe and easy means of correcting refractive errors, they affect quality of life due to distorted vision, disco ....Vision performance in relationship to spectacle lens design. Refractive errors such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or presbyopia (age related decline in near vision) are the leading causes of visual impairment in the world. Of these, presbyopia affects almost 100% of the population above 45 years of age. This represents over 40% of all Australians. Although spectacles provide a safe and easy means of correcting refractive errors, they affect quality of life due to distorted vision, discomfort such as head and neck ache and cosmetic effects. The goals of the project are to better understand the visual performance of young and old people who wear glasses and to develop improved spectacle lens designs to provide clear and comfortable vision over a range of distances.Read moreRead less
Surface engineering of oriented nano-layers for performance control. This research project will deliver knowledge on how to graft oriented, self assembled films from a surface, develop structure-property relationships at a nano-scale, develop a means to control these properties and develop characterization techniques at nano-scales. This research project, if successful, will deliver the ability to tailor the properties of a surface in a manner and over a range of properties that is not even cont ....Surface engineering of oriented nano-layers for performance control. This research project will deliver knowledge on how to graft oriented, self assembled films from a surface, develop structure-property relationships at a nano-scale, develop a means to control these properties and develop characterization techniques at nano-scales. This research project, if successful, will deliver the ability to tailor the properties of a surface in a manner and over a range of properties that is not even contemplated today.
In addition to the scientific benefits, there are also immediate commercial applications in Australia and worldwide for ophthalmic products (e.g. anti-fog and easy to clean lenses), if the balance of properties can be obtained.
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Development Of An Artificial Vision System For Motion Detection. This work will have a broader impact beyond the advancement of a particular area of neurophysiology since it aims to produce a simple, robust velocity estimator in computer models and subsequently in silicon chips. We have already demonstrated the feasibility of transferring our basic preliminary models onto VLSI chips. Consistent with National Research Priorities 3 (Frontier Technologies), 4 (Defence Technologies) & 2 (Promoting a ....Development Of An Artificial Vision System For Motion Detection. This work will have a broader impact beyond the advancement of a particular area of neurophysiology since it aims to produce a simple, robust velocity estimator in computer models and subsequently in silicon chips. We have already demonstrated the feasibility of transferring our basic preliminary models onto VLSI chips. Consistent with National Research Priorities 3 (Frontier Technologies), 4 (Defence Technologies) & 2 (Promoting and Maintaining Good Health) our work has applications in the area of miniature autonomous systems in defence and civilian roles, including miniature unmanned aerial vehicles and collision avoidance detectors, while in the longer term it will serve as the basis for designing implantable artificial eyes.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel biodegradable ophthalmic biomaterial based on porous silicon. Within this interdisciplinary project, we will combine our diverse expertise towards the development of frontier technologies for control of stem cell behaviour on biodegradable scaffold materials. We will develop a novel ophthalmic bioimplant from porous silicon using topographical and chemical aspects of surface modification as well as immobilisation and/or incorporation of bioactive species such as growth fac ....Development of a novel biodegradable ophthalmic biomaterial based on porous silicon. Within this interdisciplinary project, we will combine our diverse expertise towards the development of frontier technologies for control of stem cell behaviour on biodegradable scaffold materials. We will develop a novel ophthalmic bioimplant from porous silicon using topographical and chemical aspects of surface modification as well as immobilisation and/or incorporation of bioactive species such as growth factors, to permit the growth and differentiation of mammalian stem cells. This project will result in biomaterials for the treatment of blinding diseases of the eye. Implanted into the limbus, bioimplants may ameliorate some common corneal diseases.Read moreRead less
Using lasers to prime the immune system. This project aims to detail the precise effects that lasers have on eye cells, cell populations and the body as a whole. Laser treatments for sight problems are increasing but the effects of these laser applications on the unique immune systems of the eye and brain are unknown. Previous work of the researchers has shown that a novel nanosecond laser when targeted to the eye can alter cells in the lasered eye and in the unlasered eye and the brain. This kn ....Using lasers to prime the immune system. This project aims to detail the precise effects that lasers have on eye cells, cell populations and the body as a whole. Laser treatments for sight problems are increasing but the effects of these laser applications on the unique immune systems of the eye and brain are unknown. Previous work of the researchers has shown that a novel nanosecond laser when targeted to the eye can alter cells in the lasered eye and in the unlasered eye and the brain. This knowledge may be crucial for enhancing our understanding of the immune privileged state of the eye. In addition, it seeks to guide the development of future low energy lasers as important successful treatments.Read moreRead less